STAAR- 101 Facts
Important dates
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Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement, was founded in 1607.
Mayflower Compact – first form of self-government.
The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787.
President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803.
The Civil War was fought from 1861-1865.
Important Places and Events
7. The first shots of the American Revolution were fired at Lexington, Massachusetts in April
1775.
8. Concord, Massachusetts was the site of the first battle of the American Revolution.
9. The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the American Revolution.
10. The British defeat at Yorktown, Virginia by George Washington’s troops signaled the end
of the American Revolution.
11. The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, in South Carolina.
12. The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War for the North. Confederate
troops were forced to retreat and never invaded the North again.
13. The capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi by the North in 1863, effectively split the
Confederacy in two and gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union.
14. Appomattox Court House is the small town in Virginia where Robert E. Lee surrendered
the Confederate Army to Ulysses S. Grant ending the Civil War.
Important Vocabulary
15. Mercantilism is an economic theory that a country’s strength is measured by the amount of
gold it has, that a country should sell more than it buys and that the colonies exist for the
benefit of the Mother Country.
16. An abolitionist was a person who wanted to end slavery in the United States.
17. A tariff is a tax on goods brought into a country.
18. A protective tariff is a tax placed on goods from another country to protect the home
industry.
19. Sectionalism is a strong sense of loyalty to a state or section instead of to the whole country.
20. Manifest Destiny is the belief that the United States should own all of the land between the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
21. The Temperance Movement was a campaign against the sale or drinking of alcohol.
22. Representative Government is a system of government in which voters elect
representatives to make laws for them.
23. A Republic is a nation in which voters choose representatives to govern them.
24. The House of Burgesses was the first representative assembly in the new world.
25. The Three Branches of Government are the Legislative Branch, the Judicial Branch, and
the Executive branch.
26. Checks and Balances is a system set up by the Constitution in which each branch of the
federal government has the power to check, or control, the actions of the other branches.
27. Free Enterprise is the freedom of private businesses to operate competitively for profit with
minimal government regulation.
28. Federalism is the sharing of power between the states and the national government.
29. Separation of Powers is a system in which each branch of government has it’s own powers.
30. Popular Sovereignty is the practice of allowing each territory to decide for itself whether or
not to allow slavery.
31. Amend means to change.
32. Unalienable rights are rights that cannot be given up, taken away or transferred. Life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness, are some of those rights.
33. Tyranny is a cruel and unjust government.
34. A Democracy is a form of government that is run for and by the people, giving people the
supreme power.
35. Ratify means to approve by vote.
36. Judicial Review is the right of the Supreme Court to judge laws passed by Congress and
determine whether they are constitutional or not.
37. Civil Disobedience is the refusal to obey a government law or laws as a means of passive
resistance because of one’s moral conviction or belief.
38. Federalists were supporters of the Constitution who favored a strong national government.
39. Antifederalists were people opposed to the Constitution, preferring more power be given to
the state governments than to the national government.
40. Nullification is the idea of a state declaring a federal law illegal.
41. Primary Sources are the original records of an event. They include eyewitness reports,
records created at the time of an event, speeches, and letters by people involved in the event,
photographs and artifacts.
42. Secondary Sources are the later writings and interpretations of historians and writers.
Often secondary sources, like textbooks and articles, provide summaries of information
found in primary sources.
43. Republicanism was an attitude toward society in the late 1700s based on the belief that the
good virtue and morality of the people was essential to sustain the republican form of
government.
44. Industrial Revolution was the era in which a change from household industries to factory
production using powered machinery took place.
Important Documents and Policies
45. The Magna Carta, signed in 1215 by William and Mary of England, was the first document
that limited power of the ruler.
46. The English Bill of Rights protected the rights of English citizens and became the basis for
the American Bill of Rights.
47. The Declaration of Independence was a document written by Thomas Jefferson, declaring
the colonies independence from England.
48. The Articles of Confederation was the first American constitution. It was a very weak
document that limited the power of the Congress by giving states the final authority over all
decisions.
49. The Constitution of the United States sets out the laws and principles of the government of
the United States.
50. George Washington’s Farewell Address advised the United States to stay “neutral in its
relations with other nations” and to avoid “entangling alliances”.
51. The Monroe Doctrine was a foreign policy statement by President James Monroe stating
that 1) the U.S. would not interfere in European affairs, and 2) that the western hemisphere
was closed to colonization and/ or interference by European nations.
52. The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French and Indian War and effectively kicked the
French out of North America.
53. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 ended the American Revolution and forced Britain to
recognize the United States as an independent nation.
54. The Northwest Ordinance was a policy of establishing the principles and procedures for
the orderly expansion of the United States.
55. The Mayflower Compact was the agreement signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims in Plymouth,
to consult each other about laws for the colony and a promise to work together to make it
succeed.
56. The Federalist Papers were a series of essays written by James Madison, John Jay, and
Alexander Hamilton, defending the Constitution and the principles on which the government
of the United States was founded.
57. Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to convince colonists that it was
time to become independent from Britain.
58. The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the Constitution and detail the protection of
individual liberties.
59. The Gettysburg Address was a short speech given by Abraham Lincoln to dedicate a
cemetery for soldiers who died at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is considered to be a profound
statement of American ideals.
60. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, setting all
slaves in the Confederate states free.
61. Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address stated that, “no state…can lawfully get out of the
Union”, but pledged there would be no war unless the South started it.
62. Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address was meant to help heal and restore the country after
four years of Civil War.
63. The Great Compromise created two houses of Congress. One based on population, the
other gave equal representation to each state.
Important People
64. Sam Adams was a member of the Sons of Liberty who started the Committee of
Correspondence to stir public support for American independence.
65. Ben Franklin was an inventor, statesman, diplomat, signer of the Declaration of
Independence and delegate to Constitutional Convention.
66. King George III was the King of England who disbanded the colonial legislatures, taxed
the colonies, and refused the Olive Branch Petition leading to the final break with the
colonies.
67. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence; became the 3rd President of the
United States and purchased the Louisiana territory, doubling the size of the United States.
68. Thomas Paine wrote pamphlets like Common Sense and The Crisis to encourage American
independence and resolve.
69. George Washington was the leader of the Continental Army who became the first President
of the United States.
70. Andrew Jackson was the leader of the original Democratic Party and a “President of the
people”. He was also responsible for the Trail of Tears, which forced Native Americans
west of the Mississippi River.
71. John C. Calhoun was a South Carolina Congressman and Senator who spoke for the South
before and during the Civil War.
72. Henry Clay was a powerful Kentucky Congressman and Senator who proposed the
American System and the Compromise of 1850.
73. Daniel Webster was a Massachusetts Congressman and Senator who spoke for the North
and the preservation of the Union.
74. Jefferson Davis was the President of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
75. Ulysses S. Grant was the General of the Union Army and was responsible for winning the
Civil War for the North.
76. Robert E. Lee was the General of the Confederate Army.
77. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States who successfully put the
Union back together only to be assassinated 5 days after the Civil War ended.
78. Alexander Hamilton was a leader of the Federalists, first Treasurer of the United States,
creator of the Bank of the U.S., and killed in a duel by the Vice President of the United
States, Aaron Burr.
79. Patrick Henry was a passionate patriot who became famous for his fiery speeches in favor
of American independence. His most famous quote included the words, “Give me liberty or
give me death!”
80. James Madison is considered to be the “Father of the Constitution”.
81. Frederick Douglass was a former slave who became the best-known black abolitionist in
the country.
82. James Monroe was the author of the Monroe Doctrine, which shut down the western
hemisphere to European expansion or interference.
83. Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who became a Conductor on the Underground
Railroad and helped over 300 slaves to freedom in the North.
84. Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the Seneca Falls Convention creating the Women’s
Rights Movement in the United States.
Amendments to the Constitution
85. The First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law” restricting freedom of
speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
86. The Second Amendment guarantees the right of states to organize militias, or armies, and
the right of individuals to bear arms.
87. The Third Amendment forbids the government to order private citizens to allow soldiers to
live in their homes.
88. The Fourth Amendment requires that warrants be issued if property is to be searched or
seized (taken) by the government.
89. The Fifth Amendment protects an accused person from having to testify against him or
herself (self-incrimination); bans double jeopardy, and guarantees that no person will suffer
the loss of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
90. The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy public trial by an impartial jury; the
right to a lawyer; the right to cross examine witnesses; and the right to force witnesses at a
trial to testify.
91. The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil suits.
92. The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and excessive bail or
fines.
93. The Ninth Amendment states that the people have rights other than those specifically
mentioned in the Constitution.
94. The Tenth Amendment states that powers not given to the federal government belong to
the states.
95. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery.
96. The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees citizenship and rights to all people born or
naturalized in the United States.
97. The Fifteenth Amendment guarantees the right to vote to all citizens regardless of race.
Supreme Court Cases
98. Marbury v. Madison was the 1803 Court decision that gave the Supreme Court the right to
determine whether a law violates the Constitution. It set up the principle of judicial review.
99. Dred Scott v. Sanford was the Supreme Court decision that said slaves were property and
not citizens.
Inventions
100.
The Cotton Gin was an invention by Eli Whitney that speeded the cleaning of cotton
fibers and in effect, increased the need for slaves.
101.The successful use of the steamboat by Robert Fulton revolutionized
transportation and trade in the United States.